Policy Development

How to create effective policies for volunteer engagement -- both to guide volunteers in their work and also to integrate them into overall agency policy for all staff.

Related Topics: Legal Issues | Preparing for Volunteers
Be Directive, Linda Graff, Well-Centred, Volunteer Canada
Benefits of Policies for Volunteer Programs, Linda L. Graff, Graff and Associates
Beyond Counting Heads: Measuring the Real Impact of Volunteers, Susan J. Ellis, NTEN Connect
Clarifying Expectations on Both Sides, Eileen Hammond, 64-66, Directory of Social Change
Common Sense and Volunteer Involvement, Susan J. Ellis
Creating a Statement of Philosophy on Volunteer Engagement, Betty B. Stallings with Susan J. Ellis, Leading the Way to Successful Volunteer Involvement: Practical Tools for Busy Executives, Energize Inc.
Creating a System to Involve Staff as Volunteers, Steve McCurley, Rick Lynch and Rob Jackson, Chapter 10, pp. 245-46, Directory of Social Change
Do You Stick Your Neck Out When Advocating for Volunteers?, Susan J. Ellis
The Domino Effect of Setting Goals for Volunteer Involvement, Susan J. Ellis
Don’t Forget Volunteers as Part of the Solution to 2017 Nonprofit Challenges, Susan J. Ellis
Employee or Volunteer: What’s the Difference?, Melanie Lockwood Herman
The Fair Labor Standards Act and Other Obstacles to Progress, Susan J. Ellis
A Few Pointers On the Unpleasant Topic of Firing Volunteers, Sarah Jane Rehnborg, Ph.D.
I'll Never Understand Why Executives Still Don't Understand, Susan J. Ellis
Letting Fear Prevent Volunteer Involvement is Too Risky, Jayne Cravens
Limiting Volunteers through Insurance Requirements, Susan J. Ellis
Mixed Messages to Volunteers Whom We’ve Asked to Be Friendly, Susan J. Ellis
Model Volunteer Handbook, Dr. Bill Wittich, Model Volunteer Handbook, Knowledge Transfer Publishing
Model Volunteering Policy
The Rise of the Knowledge Philanthropist, Colleen Kelly & Lynda Gerty, pp. 28-29, Vantage Point
Should We Cap the Number of Hours a Volunteer May Serve Each Week?, Susan J. Ellis
Tempting But Confusing and Dangerous: Paying Volunteers "Just a Little Something", George L. Head, Nonprofit Risk Management Center
Volunteers as the "Third Branch" of an Organization, Susan J. Ellis
The Wall of Executive Indifference, Susan J. Ellis
When the Ax Falls: Budget Cutting and Volunteers, Susan J. Ellis
Why Is It Labor Unions vs. Volunteers?, Susan J. Ellis
"Why?" Is More Powerful than #@#%!, Susan J. Ellis

The following articles on this topic were published in the Engage journal. Previews and some articles are complementary; full articles are available to paid members.

'O Canada' - The Listening Behind the Canada Volunteerism Initiative
An Introduction to Ethics for the Volunteer Engagement Profession
Building Organizational Commitment to the Volunteer Program
Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Volunteer-involving Organizations: Western Australia Tackles a Not-Always-Obvious but Persistent Problem
Developing Volunteering Infrastructure: National Down or Local Up?
Five Strategies to Shut Down Volunteer Conflict
How Many Supervisors Does It Take to Screw in a Volunteer?
MEM-VOL (Migrant and Ethnic Minority Volunteering): A Transnational Exchange Programme
Paying to Play: Charging Fees to Volunteers
Policy Documents on Volunteering
Questions of Public Policy
Reducing the Risks of Lawsuits Involving Volunteers
Refugees and Asylum Seekers Volunteering in the UK
Strategic Plans for Volunteering
The Dangers of Too Much Enthusiasm
The Division of Labour: Volunteers, Employees, Volunteer Management and Unions
Tools for Strategic Planning
Towards a More Cohesive Volunteerism Public Affairs Strategy: A Story, Steps and Lessons from Minnesota
Volunteer Handbooks: One Size Does Not Fit All

Guide from Volunteer Canada on how to consult stakeholders in the development, design, delivery or review of services and programs.

, 2002, pp. 37

Produced by the National Centre for Volunteering (UK), this booklet examines how developing the right policies leads to a more diverse volunteer corps.

, 2002, pp. 20
From Volunteering England , 2010, pp. 40

When newspapers in England reported of serious breaches of trust between volunteers and their organisations in 2009, Volunteering England was prompted to set up the Volunteer Rights Inquiry to begin to understand the nature and scope of the problems experienced by volunteers and identify suitable remedies. This Interim Report goes into detail about the findings of the intensive set of hearings held.  In 2014, a Final report of the Call to Action Progress Group following the Volunteer Rights Inquiry was produced by NCVO.

, 2010, pp. 32
Community Development Policy (New Zealand)

NZ government site offering policy statements, reports,and other materials on volunteering as well as other community development,  including a study of Maori volunteering.

Minnesota Historical Society Policies and Procedures

Excellent sample document.

Templates - from Volunteer Scotland

Volunteer Scotland is developing and posting a variety of templates for volunteer resources managers to use as a starting point for creating their own forms. New templates continue to be added, but here's a sample of the contents: volunteer agreement template; diversity monitoring form template; volunteer exit questionnaire template; volunteer policy template.

Print and e-Books in Our Store

Book cover

Better Safe: Risk Management in Volunteer Programs

Demystifies risk management and sets out in plain language what every volunteer program needs to know about this sometimes scary, always critical subject.

Book cover

By Definition: Policies for Volunteer Programs

A walk-through of the importance of developing policies for and about volunteers, with clear examples and templates.

Book cover for From the Top Down

From the Top Down: The Executive Role in Successful Volunteer Involvement

Outlines the key executive decisions necessary to lay the foundation for successful volunteer involvement: policies, budgeting, staffing, employee-volunteer relationships, legal issues, cost and value of volunteers, and more.

book cover Measuring the Impact of Volunteers

Measuring the Impact of Volunteers

Presents the innovative Volunteer Resources Balanced Scorecard measurement and planning tool for aligning volunteer effort with organizational goals and effectively assessing the impact of that effort.